


A Period of Understanding

by Taupefox59



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Cramps, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Jace Wayland is a Lightwood, Lightwood Siblings, Lightwood Siblings Feels, Menstruation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 01:24:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14297715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taupefox59/pseuds/Taupefox59
Summary: Isabelle gets hit with the worst period ever, but her brothers are there to support her.





	A Period of Understanding

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by the fantastic [ Accal1a ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Accal1a)
> 
> Any mistakes left over are my own. Comments, Con/Crit are always welcome.
> 
>  
> 
> Prompt is from the Shadowhunter Plot Bunny Adoption Center, from the the excellent [ bcnedrah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bcnedrah)  
> "Jace and Alec trying to be supportive brothers and help Izzy through a period from hell."

Isabelle Lightwood woke up to pain.

Her room was dark, so she figured that if it was morning, it couldn’t be too early on yet. There was still time to sleep, technically. It wasn’t the time that mattered, though.

It was the deep, aching agony that she couldn’t escape. She felt like her insides were shredding themselves. (The knowledge that ‘organs shredding themselves’ wasn’t that far off from what was happening didn’t help.)

Isabelle rarely had to deal with cramps. When she got them, though, they could knock her flat.

She twisted to try and reach her phone on her bedside table, but the motion stole her breath and brought tears to her eyes. She fell back to her pillows and tried to breathe through the rising waves of pain.

She clenched her teeth and tried to hold back the whimpers that were threatening to escape her. _‘Just breathe’_ , she thought, _‘just breathe. You’ll get through this, and it’ll be fine.’_ She tried to swallow it all back one last time, before giving up and letting her tears fall. She couldn’t think of anything past the unrelenting, twisting vice in her pelvis.

  


Alec stood in the middle of the ops center, frowning over the computer screen in front of him. He automatically stepped to the side to make room for Jace when his parabatai walked over. It was a subconscious reaction to make space for him, their bond allowing them to constantly be aware of each other.

“Have we seen Izzy yet today?” Alec asked, still scrolling through the information.

Jace shook his head, “I didn’t see her.”

Alec looked away from the screen. “That’s unlike her. You take this, I’m going to go check on her.”

Jace nodded again, “We’re still looking for patterns.”

“Anything suspicious that we could be missing.” Alec confirmed. He reached up and gave Jace’s shoulder a squeeze. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Jace said.

Alec nodded with a half smile, before turning and leaving the room.

 

It took him no time at all before he was in front of Isabelle’s door, knocking softly. “Izzy? Are you in there?”

There was a brief pause before Izzy’s voice could be heard. “Hey, Alec.” Her voice was weak and rough.

Alec frowned at the sound of it. “Can I come in?”

“Yeah.”

He eased the door open softly, before stepping inside. Isabelle was on her bed, but she looked pale. Her face was free from makeup; her hair was a tangled mess.

“Izzy?” Alec asked.

Izzy groaned. “Cramps.”

Alec’s eyes widened in understanding. “Oh, shit. Okay. What can I get you?”

Izzy winced and took several deep breaths, before she managed to respond. “It hurts.”

Alec walked over and gingerly sat down on the bed. He gently brushed Isabelle’s hair back from her face. “Did you manage to get some painkillers?”

Izzy shook her head. “I think I might throw up.”

Alec nodded. “Okay. Would heat help?”

Izzy paused. “I think so.”

“Alright. I’ll get some meds from the infirmary, and a heat pad. Do you think you can sleep?”

Isabelle bit her lip for a moment, riding out another wave of pain. “I’ve been trying.”

“Do you want one of us here?”

Isabelle took a deep breath. “No, you’re busy.”

“Not too busy for you. If you want me here, I’ll be here. If I need to leave, I’ll make sure Jace can come.”

“Alec-”

Alec leaned forward and pulled her into a gentle hug. “We’re here to support you however you need, Izzy. Always.”

“I love you, big brother.” Her voice was soft, but it didn’t need to be loud.

“I love you too, Izzy.” Alec pulled away. “I’m going to go, I’ll be right back.”

 

Izzy managed a weak smile as her brother left her room. Her cramps were at the point where she could feel it crawling up the back of her throat; churning in a twisting maelstrom in her lower back. If she could get meds before the pain kicked in, she could stay on top of it, but now, when she was practically immobile from it, there was nothing she could do except ride it out.

The fact that Alec knew enough to come check on her, and knew what she needed was a blessing she didn’t even have words to describe.

She didn’t get taken down that often, but it happened every once in a while. Izzy could remember the first time that she had been incapacitated by her period. She had been thirteen, and Alec and Jace had been _terrified_ . The worst part was that there was nothing to be done to make things better. Using an Iratze didn’t help with cramps, because it wasn’t an injury to be healed. It was just _pain_.

All Isabelle was able to do was breathe, and ride it out as best she could. Alec was here, and if he had to leave, Jace would be there. She could hardly think through the agony, but her brothers were there for her.  
  


Alec left Isabelle’s room, and made his way back to through to the ops center. He tapped Jace on the shoulder. “Izzy’s out today.”

“Oh shit!” Jace said, then he paused, “She wasn’t hurt. Wait! Is this a time-of-the-month thing?”

Alec nodded.

“Oh, shit. Okay. What can we do?”

“I’m getting her painkillers and heating pads, but she asked for someone to be there with her. If I have to go can you make sure that you can be there?”

“Yeah, of course!” Jace said.

 

When Alec became Head of the Institute, he vowed to keep the Institute stocked with supplies and resources for any menstruating Shadowhunters who might need them.

It had been eye-opening and saddening to him to see how many of his Shadowhunters had been shocked by what he saw as basic decency. Why would he ever have his people out on the streets if they were at less than their best? It was hardly difficult for him to rearrange patrols. It was far more important to make sure that his people had access to the meagre resources he could offer to try and help them feel better.

Isabelle was one of the strongest people that Alec had ever met, and to see her clutching at her abdomen and nearly in tears was nothing that either he or Jace were prepared for. Once they had understood what was happening to their sister, both boys had sworn to always do whatever they could to make things better for Isabelle. It wasn’t something that they talked about, but both of them knew the approximate timing of her cycle, and they made sure that if Isabelle ever needed some time off of patrol, she would get it.

There were no runes to help, so they were left with mundane medicine to get them through, and if that was all he could offer, Alec was determined to have it readily available.

 

Alec grabbed the strongest painkillers they had in the infirmary, along with a light muscle relaxant, and a couple of heating pads.

Jace could hold down the ops center for the time being. In the meantime, caring for Izzy was far more important.

Alec walked back to her room, knocking, and waiting for Izzy’s permission to enter. Her voice was soft through the door as she called for him to come in.

He went to her sink and filled a glass of water which he handed to her, along with the pills he’d gotten for her.

“Thank you, Alec.” Izzy said, taking the medicine and managing to drink about half the water, before she set the glass back down and collapsed into her bed.

Alec helped her get settled with heating pads across her hips.

“What can I do for you?”

Isabelle tried to smile, but it was a weak attempt. “Read to me?”

Alec smiled softly at her. “Of course.” He stood from her bed and went to her bookshelf, scanning the titles. He grinned when he saw an old book of fairy tales they had read as children. He grabbed it and then dragged Izzy’s make-up bench closer to the bed.

He sat down, and started to read.

“ _Long ago, in a faraway land, there was a castle...”_

 

The ache was still there, but Isabelle could relax into the soothing warmth of the heating pads. She could close her eyes, and wait for the medication to kick in. Her room was dark and quiet; the only sound was the low, steady voice of her brother reading. She could simply lay there and breathe, and lose herself until the world stopped hurting quite so much.

She wasn’t able to do anything about the agony, but when she needed it, her brothers were supporting her, trying to make it better in any way they could.

She reached out and took Alec’s hand, holding on to him as she let herself drift. Her suffering would be over eventually, and until then, she wasn’t alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi to me at [my tumblr!](https://taupefox59.tumblr.com)


End file.
